The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-11-25

OI ~ WAS Sbiu w COuio Hou AASAA""'
and Germany. The Bank Of Amsterdam
is large consignor Ono deep pan
ready for the cruoible, contained ON
English soverlgns, most Of them brigh
and new In another were about TX
Spanish doubloons. while In thir
were French and Belgian 2O-fran'
pieces, and In fourth were the ~
mark coins OF Germany. Domesti
gold comes In bars. grains. and Jumps
and in jewelry and the like.
After this gold has been melted, re
fined, and assayed 1t is nodded Int
bars or bricks Of various sizes. OF valu'
running from $40 to $40. 1000. ant
properly stamped. Bars worth $oW
to $500, or less, are called Mt the ASA,
Office 'chicken feed" The stamping
upon the sides of one of them jus
come, gave the melt number l4o; ba
number. 1861; the weight 2O'N
ounces; the value. 1928. 40; while or
the top. as veriication. was the as
say office stamp. with the eagle To-
.goose," as 1t is called there) and thu
fineness. fine 997a. This 'chickei
feed'' varies in weight from about fiv'
up to thirty five ounces. The large
sizes run from twelve to forty pounds II
weight. Many of them are stamped
SIC, 1000 and upward in value. Boxes
of newly stamped bricks containing
$50, 900 to 100000 each stood on car
ready to be trundled to the vaults. Oi
one car was over 81, 100000. With thu
stamp of the assay office upon them
these bars or bricks are worth in com
merce the exact value ut which the.
are stamped. and where gold must b'
used are preferred in heavy transactions
to any other form of currency. Thu
vaults of the assay Office contain in this
form of gold alone, nodded there. over
SSs, 900. 900. Over 1928, 000 900 of this
has been received there during the
past three months. Such large
amount of treasure deserves better &C
commodations.
Among the other curiosities OF the
gold-room are the two alleged bars o.
gold which old Capt. Richardson some
months ago got from couple OF sup
posed Californians for $4,000. They
proved to be pure copper without ever
veneering of gold. II the old captain
had been as we'll acquainted with the
precious metals as he protested to be h'
would have discovered the deceit by the
color, while by netting" them atten
lively he would have found them no
half as heavy as they should be; the
specific gravity Of copper being bui
8. 93 while that of gold IS 1913. Capt
Richardson never came back after his
'.gold bars"
While the reporter was at the assay
Office the interesting process OF separ'
ating gold and silver which had beer
melted together was under way. The
melt" was first granulated by being
cast into water. Then the silver is dis
solved out by being put into sulphurlt
acid and boiled in huge iron kettles
1t is often necessary to repeat the boil
ing five or ten times before a satisfac'
tory result Is reached. In this opera
ton the gold is not dissolved. but the
silver dissolves, leaving the gold.
The manner in which gold and silver
are separated from base metals, called
"cupellation. was also in progress
Just drachm of weight of the metal
with small particle Of lead is placed
in 'cupel," which is little circular
receptacle made of bone, the shape Of
an ordinary wooden checker" but
very little larger. and scooped out so a
to contain the metal to be cuppelled
The cuppels, thirty or forty at time
are placsd in furnace heated by ga
up to fifteen hundred degrees. Tit
action of the heat and air then oxi
dies, as it is called the baser metals
and they are absorbed by the poru
cuppel and adhere to the bone, while
the gold and silver remains.
. Many Of the officers and employees o
the assay office are old men. and gra.
locks and silvery boards are In the ma
jority. Some have been there fort.
years. Supt Mason has passed througl
seven national administrations. and !
now serving in his eighth. He entere
tho employ Of the government as
melter and refiner. afterward becam
.,.toct asssvar from which posj